HB8 Summary

• Amends Section 26-15-3.2 of the Alabama Code to define "child" to include an unborn child in utero at any stage of development regardless of viability.

• Establishes venue for charges involving in utero exposure in the county where the child is born.

• Creates a rebuttable presumption that a mother exposed a child in utero to a controlled substance if both the mother and child test positive for the same controlled substance at time of birth and the substance was not prescribed by a physician.

• Maintains existing felony classifications: Class C for knowingly causing or permitting exposure, Class B if exposure causes serious physical injury, and Class A if exposure results in death.

• Provides immunity from criminal liability for licensed physicians providing medical care and treatment to mothers or children, including prescribing, ordering, or administering medications or medical procedures.